Game Profile

To save his world from rampaging demons, Dana goes on a dangerous quest to find Solomon's Key and seal the monsters away. An audacious mix between an action game and a giant puzzle, Solomon's Key is one of the toughest challenges on the NES, but also one of its most endearing adventures.

The player is required to combine logic and cunning reflexes to unravel all the mysteries of each room. Several secrets ought to be unlocked by the brightest minds, and only a few have been deemed worthy of seeing all the different endings. Will you be clever enough?

Game Review

darren_calvert

Review

USA Mon, 20 Nov 2006 by Darren Calvert

To save his world from rampaging demons, Dana goes on a dangerous quest to find Solomon's Key and seal the monsters away.

Solomon’s Key originally started out life as a little known arcade game. The NES version is probably much better known and is a faithful rendition of the original. Playing as a little wizard by the name of Dana you are tasked with escaping from a series..

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User Comments

zweck361

1. Zweck36 United States 25 Feb 2007, 20:42 GMT

This game is fantastic, and incredibly hard. It is a challenge that will earn your 500 wii points

wolf

2. Wolf United States 06 Mar 2007, 05:26 GMT

Infinite continues would be nice with the Wii's rom-freezing feature. I don't like playing those first levels over and over but this is a really great game! It's worth the time it takes to master it.

jazzem

3. Jazzem United Kingdom 06 Mar 2007, 21:28 GMT

It is great indeed :) The VC's underrated NES game, very worth the 500 points. And yes, it does have infinite continues, after the game over screen (which came up very frequently for me >_>), you're sent back to the title screen, but pressing start brings you to the level you were just on. <br> <br>But as I say, it's brilliant. Difficult though, the relief I had completing it was a lot to say the least!

jonno

4. Jonno United States 14 Mar 2007, 18:40 GMT

One of the hardest NES games out there, Solomon's Key will infact win the hearts of many Puzzle and RPG fans.

nephew771

5. nephew77 United States 09 May 2007, 03:08 BST

I skipped over this one in the 80s and 90s. I have it now on the VC, and it is great. Disregard the graphics. The puzzles will keep you coming back! 4/5 stars from me too.

harmonica

6. Harmonica United States 01 Jun 2007, 18:38 BST

I love this game. FYI, there are infinite continues. At the GDV screen (game over screen), hit Up+A+B. Good luck all!

sckkktttrrrr

7. SKTTR Germany 11 Jun 2007, 09:52 BST

It is a challenging game and a REAL CLASSIC!
It's got many levels as well as good graphics for an NES game.
It's got tight controls, tons of secrets and just one of the best soundtracks on the NES ever.

With unlimited continues and Wii-save-function everyone can play through it. I give it 4 Stars.

liekosofmobius

8. LiekosOfMobius United States 24 Jul 2007, 23:58 BST

There was apparently a Monster Rancher game based on this released for the Game Boy Color. It used the same game mechanics and even has the same room clearing jingle this has.

marioyoshi

9. Flip13lolb United States 05 Aug 2007, 20:49 BST

aesome game it is a platformer and a puzzle

nintendofan25years

10. NintendoFan25Years United Kingdom 15 Aug 2007, 22:54 BST

I like puzzlers but this is a waste of $5; (I can only get to 2 levels)I am going to delete it and buy adventures of lolo. Bomberman 93 and Chew Man Fu are 2 games that are must downloads for puzzle fans!!

sanjuro

11. sanjuro Finland 15 Oct 2007, 15:59 BST

If you give up after 2 levels, you have a serious issue with puzzle games, haha ! :D It isn't that hard, especially with continues.

dee1

12. Dee United Kingdom 03 Dec 2007, 00:09 GMT

I loved this game when I was about 10 - I can't wait for release in the EU!

darren_calvert

13. Dazza United Kingdom 03 Dec 2007, 07:34 GMT

Dee - You don't need to wait any longer. The EU got this game on 15 Dec 2006!! :-)

dee1

14. Dee United Kingdom 04 Dec 2007, 00:34 GMT

I can't seem to find it anywhere - really want it but don't know how to get it!!! Ahhhh!

chris_h

15. chris h. United States 27 Dec 2007, 19:35 GMT

even with infinite continues, the game is still pretty bad. anti-climactic un unnecessarily hard. i made the mistake of downloading this game on virtual consoleand just wasted 500 wii points. dont get this game. dont even accept it as a gift

learn_japanese_ds

16. learn japanese ds Canada 15 Jan 2008, 05:32 GMT

hmmm. from the video I can totally see how this game could be cool. I still think it was a strange choice for a VC launch game though...

zweck36

17. Zweck36 United States 21 Jan 2008, 21:14 GMT

I love love love this game, but it is hard as hell

adamant

18. Adamant Norway 23 Feb 2008, 07:50 GMT

It's not THAT hard, people. Just learn the solution to the levels, and they'll fall easily. If I can beat it, so can you.

2097

19. 2097 Sweden 26 Feb 2008, 23:41 GMT

As someone who breezed through Lolo 1 & 2 (except PROB, C and D), this is harder, I guess because of the faster action. I've cleared the first ten rooms. Still looking for a difficult puzzler (as opposed to a difficult action game). So far I like this game and will play more.

Dig the boxart, too.

2097

20. 2097 Sweden 27 Feb 2008, 11:34 GMT

I haven't really gotten the feel of this game. I feel like I'm brute-forcing through the levels.

adamant

21. Adamant Norway 28 Feb 2008, 11:20 GMT

It takes a while to get used to. The best hint I can give is "learn the levels". Learn the sure-fire method that will always enable you to beat a level every time you try it. Collect extra lives and fairies. Learn where the hidden treasures are. Knowledge is everything in this game, since you'll keep getting booted back to the title screen if you die too much. I can get through the first 30-or-so levels without dying without too much trouble, and rack up about 15 lives on the way - all it takes is practice and a willingness to learn safe methods rather than ramboing through. Remember that fireballs are there for a reason, too.

2097

22. 2097 Sweden 02 Mar 2008, 21:52 GMT

I've spent hours on that horrible room 17.

adamant

23. Adamant Norway 17 Mar 2008, 19:47 GMT

Room 17 is easy, you just need to block yourself in completely every time you move to a new concrete block.
At the beginning, wait for the ball right in front of you to pass you, then make a block toyour left, get on top of it to reach the concrete block, and make blocks to your left and right. Wait for the balls to travel clear off the blocks you've been making, then destroy the block you made to the left, make a block right under where it was when the ball on the next concrete block has passed, then walk over to it and make blocks to your right and left again, protecting you from the balls as they travel to outskirt of the room. Continue like this until you're past all the concrete blocks and balls, then extend the floor all the way to the left, while leaving a small hole for the balls to travel through once they return to this area. block the hole when the balls try getting back out. No problem.

2097

24. 2097 Sweden 16 Jun 2008, 00:08 BST

Yeah, I figured that much but it still took my about four sessions to actually do it. Maybe over a hundred tries. I like this game a lot as an action game but it wasn't what I was looking for when I bought it, which was right on the heels of the Lolo games that I already found too much based on timing and action. I like timing/action games too, but sometimes I just want to think, not practice my twiddly fingers (sometimes it's the opposite), it's a mood thing, I guess. Solomon's Key for me falls squarely into the "twiddly fingers" camp. Thanks for the advice.

sparrow_1993

25. sparrow-1993 United Kingdom 23 Jun 2008, 08:52 BST

I downloaded this yesterday, it was well worth 500 points.

golgo1

26. Golgo United Kingdom 10 Sep 2008, 14:34 BST

Finally finished it, after chipping away on-and-off for weeks. Superb game. The levels are really beautifully crafted, although they do get increasingly hellish. Rooms 43 and 46 must be among the most fiendish ever committed to code - they had me chewing the furniture...

Anyway, I wish Tecmo would update this rather than pumping out their silly, soft-porn, boobs-on-the-beach 'games'.

Can anyone recommend a similar experience on VC?
Adventures of Lolo, maybe?

adamant

27. Adamant Norway 16 Oct 2008, 06:47 BST

Solomon's Key is unique. The closest you'd get would be the Lode Runner games, but they're really not that similiar.

corbie_dillard

28. Corbie United States 24 Oct 2008, 08:16 BST

Still a fun game, but nothing groundbreaking. Of course it never really was to begin with. :)

ferret75

29. Ferret75 United States 31 Jan 2009, 20:34 GMT

A fun game, but dang it's hard.

golgo1

30. Golgo United Kingdom 12 Feb 2009, 20:35 GMT

@ Corbie. It may not have been groundbreaking, but I think that it did combine action and puzzling in a more innovative (and evil) way than anything I can think of for that generation. That said, I haven't got Lolo yet, so I know shit...

knucklessonic8

31. KnucklesSonic8 Canada 09 Mar 2009, 04:52 GMT

For only 500 points, I'm even more eager to give this a try!

linrek_1

32. linrek-1 Sweden 12 Jul 2009, 22:16 BST

Buy it now, it is a forever shining gem =)

linrek_1

33. linrek-1 Sweden 12 Jul 2009, 22:19 BST

"twiddly fingers" camp.. did you meen the word skill?

legend_marioid

34. LEGEND MARIOID United Kingdom 05 Sep 2009, 22:35 BST

8/10 all the way

deeztreezeez

35. deeztreezeez United States 30 Nov 2009, 00:18 GMT

I had the one for the original gameboy...bought this a month ago, this game is SOO awesome. Go Figure, a week or two after I bought the NES version the release the Arcade version on the VC...oh well this game still kicks butt

tnt

36. TNT United States 04 Feb 2010, 20:28 GMT

The only contue I can do is back to the first level

tnt

37. TNT United States 04 Feb 2010, 20:29 GMT

If someone can tell me how to continue i will tell how to skip from level 15 to 21

tnt

38. TNT United States 09 Feb 2010, 15:49 GMT

I figured out that you continue by pressing up a and b AT THE SAME TIME!

tnt

39. TNT United States 09 Feb 2010, 15:50 GMT

now I need to know how to beat level 43

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